Lemon, Cilantro, Jicama Salad/Slaw

Great as a stand alone salad or as a slaw topping on Balsamic Pork sandwiches, this dish assembles in minutes and has fabulous flavor.

Lemon, Cilantro Jicama Salad
1 1/2 cup jicama, 1/4 inch dice

1 cup cucumber, 1/4 inch dice

1 cup celery, 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup lemon flesh, chop segments w/o membrane
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup torn red leaf lettuce
Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oil (or canola oil)
Place all salad ingredients in a bowl except red leaf lettuce. Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss with salad. Add red leaf lettuce just before serving and toss again.

Hints: The lemon is easy to section (see this post for directions) or you can use a grapefruit spoon to scoop the flesh out. Don't leave the lemon too large. The smaller size dice makes this work well as a sandwich topping. Lime would work here equally well as a substitute for the lemon, as would grapefruit.Without the lettuce, this will hold well over night. Add the lettuce just before serving, or omit it.

Fresh tasting with a crunch--just right for warmer weather that is coming soon.

Pesto Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Aromatic, mouth watering sandwiches made with pork and pesto--what a way to end a mid winter's day. Hearty, hot sandwiches are great in the winter, especially if you need a knife and fork to eat them. And this one is so easy to make, you will love it!

Pesto Pulled Pork Sandwiches
1 large sweet onion
2 pounds boneless pork roast, (can be partially frozen)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup pesto, divided
8 slices sourdough bread
Peel and chop onion roughly. Place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place pork on onions. Salt and pepper pork. Spoon 1/2 cup pesto onto meat. Place lid on cooker and turn onto low. Cook for 7 1/2 hours. With two forks, pull pork into pieces and mix with the onions and pan drippings. Lightly toast sour dough bread if desired. Spread 1/8 of remaining pesto on each slice of bread, top with pulled pork and serve hot.

Hints: Use home made pesto or store bought. Use another type of bread, like ciabatta rolls or roasted garlic artisan bread if you like. A leaner, tougher cut of meat is great here. And bone in would be fine, merely requiring a bit more time after cooking to prep. This recipe could easily be doubled if you have a larger slow cooker. I haven't tried cooking it on high for less time but I think that would work out fine.

I think this would be a great recipe with chicken as well! Few ingredients with mega taste--my favorite kind of dish. Slow cooking is such a nice option for busy days. And leftovers make a great lunch, (one that you won't resent but actually look forward to eating), another day. 

Chilli Sauce and Sloppy Joes

Here's a shout out to the Downs'! This is a recipe of my Mom's that uses Nana Hoffman's (Aunt Trudie's mom) Chili Sauce. This is the best chili sauce I have ever had! Mom would make a batch or two every year in the fall, preserve it in pints and use it to top hamburger patties, for wonderful barbeque beef or in this fabulous sloppy Joe like sandwich.

Sloppy Joes (Nola's version)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cup chili sauce (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, place hamburger and onions in skillet and brown, breaking meat into small chunks with a wooden spoon. When meat is browned, add salt and pepper to taste and stir thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and stir till combined. When heated through, remove from heat and serve on buns.


Chili Sauce (Nana Hoffman)
16 large tomatoes
6 medium onions
6 medium apples (equal amounts of onion and apple)
2 tablespoons salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Grind tomatoes, apples and onions. Combine in a large stock pot. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low about 3 hours or until apples glaze. Makes about 4 quarts. (Process quarts about 30 minutes in a water bath.)

Hints: My mom would make a double batch of Sloppy Joe for our family of six. Of course my older brothers could plow through several sandwiches at a sitting when they were teenagers. If you don't have lean ground beef, be sure to spoon the fat off after browning. I am going to try this recipe with some of the elk meat my brother gave to me--I think it will be great. Mom used dehydrated onions at least one time when she made the chili sauce and it worked fine. She would chop the tomatoes and onions roughly, shred the apples with a fine blade rather than grinding. Pints process faster than quarts, I remember her processing pints for 20 minutes.

I have fond memories of my mom and Aunt Trudie making chili sauce together, using a very, very large pot. It must have been the result of  a tomato windfall in Bennie's garden. I also remember many good times with the Downs family. Once Kelly got Nana Hoffman to freak us all out by twisting her dentures backwards in her mouth with her tongue. We squealed and she laughed and continued knitting. What great times we had!  I thank you; Bennie and Nola, Craig, Brent and Kirk thank you, too. Hang in there Ralph! Hang in there Trudie!

Tuna with Lemon

I cook lots of things for Neal. He appreciates all of them and likes most of them. This weekend, I called and asked him to make me lunch. I requested a quesadilla or a tuna sandwich. This is what I got---worthy of a blog post! Try it out on your mom and see what she says.

Tuna Sandwich with Lemon
1 can tuna, light albacore packed in water, drained
1/4 cup (approximately) Miracle Whip
2 teaspoons lemon zest
4 slices sourdough bread
1/2 cup fresh spinach and arugula
Mix drained tuna with Miracle Whip and lemon zest. Spread 1/4 of the mixture on each of the slices of bread. Top two slices with half of the greens. Place the remaining slices that are spread with tuna on top of the greens, so the greens are in the middle of the sandwich. 

Hints: You could toast the sourdough lightly if you wanted. You could make this with canned chicken. You can use only arugula or only spinach. You can call Neal if you need a great, healthy lunch!

Thanks Neal! I loved that he loved that I loved his food. When I asked how he thought of this combo, he said "Well, lemon goes with fish right?" Smart man, pays attention, quick learner and an experimenter to boot. Yessiree, that's my son!

Grilled Fresh Mozz Sandwiches

I don't have a George Foreman grill but my daughter Sophie does. She whipped up some fabulous sandwiches the other day and said I could share the recipe with everyone. You'll love it!

Grilled Fresh Mozz Sandwiches
For each sandwich:
2 thin slices sour dough bread
balsamic glaze
Fresh mozzarella slices
cilantro pesto
spinach or baby arugula
roasted red peppers, bottled or home made
Heat a grill to medium hot. Spread one slice of bread with balsamic glaze and place the mozz on top. Spread the other slice of bread with the pesto. Place the peppers on the mozz then top with the spinach or arugula and the pesto-ed slice of bread. Butter the sandwich and place butter side down on the grill plate. Quickly butter the bread that is facing up, close the grill and cook for about 4 minutes or until the mozz is melted.

Hints: It works best if the cheese ends up on top of the veggies. Use commercial balsamic glaze or this recipe. Olive oil may be used instead of the butter. Red peppers can be roasted in the oven or over an open flame. Peel off the charred skin when cooled. Or buy them already roasted packed in olive oil. A basil pesto would of course be great on this sandwich.

Don't you just love getting invited to lunch? When Sophie calls and says she is cooking, would I like to come? I am thrilled. Why don't you buy some fresh mozz and invite someone over? I bet they will be thrilled, too.

Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Getting the munchies late in the day or in the middle of the night...wanting something not too heavy... gooey, yummy but still healthy...grilled cheese sandwiches...protein, carbohydrate, fat...just the ticket. This version has some fruit for good measure. Works perfectly for lunch or dinner, too;)

Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
For each sandwich you will need:
2 thin slices whole grain bread
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon shredded apple, I like Gala or Fuji
1 tablespoon shredded Romano cheese (or Swiss)
1 teaspoon butter
Prepare sandwiches by spreading one slice of bread with mustard. Sprinkle half of cheddar cheese on top. (Cheese and apple measurements are approximate and you may need more or less depending on the size of your bread slices.) Then apple on top of that. Finish with remaining cheddar and the other type of cheese. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add butter and allow to melt. Place top slice of bread onto sandwich, then place in skillet. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Serve warm.

Hints: Don't cook at too high a temperature or the bread will burn before the cheese melts. Choose different cheeses that compliment each other and the apple. Shred the cheeses and apple about the same thickness so that they cook evenly. Leave off the mustard if you like or substitute Miracle Whip. Use a panini press if you have one or broil open faced if you like. Serve with soup or salad and you have a great meal.

Some days you just get a hankering for a grilled cheese sandwich. This recipe is a really good way to fill that hankering. It is a bit more complex in flavor profile than Wonder bread and American slices. That complexity will be pleasant. 

Soup for a Move

Well, since my last post, I've sold my house, found a rental, packed up and moved to a new town, unpacked, made curtains for 5 windows, celebrated Christmas, New Years, Stella's, Scott's, Claus's and Kourtney's birthdays. But truthfully, I had a ton of help with all of it (except the curtains--although Bill did hang the rods). So I have been busy but we've still been eating. Here is a spicy tomato soup that is easy and quick with ingredients from the pantry. It is great to serve with a salad or sandwich as a meal or as a beautiful starter for a more elegant dinner.

Spiced Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)
3 cans (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 teaspoons raw sugar (depending on how sweet the tomatoes are)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)
Unsweetened whipped cream or sour cream for garnish (omit if vegan)
Heat a pan on medium high heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and stir to cook for 3 or 4 minutes. When onion becomes translucent, add tomatoes and spices. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often and reducing heat to maintain a slow simmer. Using a hand held blender, puree the soup and adjust seasonings before serving. Top each portion with whipped or sour cream and pass hot pepper sauce around the table.

Hints: Leftover soup will get spicier the next day. Use fresh tomatoes if you like. And fresh basil in season. I often add a bit more salt to balance the sweet flavors. Hand held blenders are wonderful but you can puree in batches in a regular blender--just be very careful with the hot liquid.


Sophie's Fresh Mozz Sandwiches
2 slices rosemary olive oil bread per sandwich (or other artisan type)
1 to 2 ounces fresh mozzerella
butter or olive oil
balsamic glaze, optional
For each sandwich, place sliced mozzarella between bread. Grill with butter or olive oil on a hot griddle. Glaze can be put into sandwich on mozzarella or on top when serving or as a dip.

Hints: I use the back side of my waffle iron plates (they are reversible) but Soph makes these with a George Foreman grill. A Panini maker would work great and an old fashioned skillet works fine--just flip the sandwich once.

Cooking makes a strange house a home faster. Meals like this that are flavorful, aromatic and soothing work best. Easy and familiar recipes help you get used to the nuances that every kitchen has with the least frustration. Sitting down with family and/or friends for an enjoyable meal also helps you feel at "home".

Blue Date (A Birthday Treat!)

Triple S Sandwich (Salty, Sweet and Savory)
For each sandwich you will need:
1 slice artisan bread (multi-grain or sour dough are best)
1/2 ounce blue cheese (best quality you can get)
2 pitted dates, diced
1 slice partially cooked bacon, diced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepitas (small pumpkin seeds)
Heat broiler. Spread blue cheese onto bread. Top with dates, bacon and pepitas. Broil directly on oven rack under heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until bacon is cooked through and cheese begins to melt. Serve hot.

Hints: I let the blue cheese sit at room temp for a few minutes and it spreads well. Make sure the bread is substantial enough to withstand the flavor and texture of the blue cheese. Don't let the bacon be too browned to start or it will burn before the cheese melts. I think that the same ingredients would work great with two pieces of bread and cooked in a sandwich grill, but then the bacon would need to be cooked all the way first.

Super blend of flavors! I created this sandwich after my last birthday party (what a surprise that was!) where my fantastic children served bacon wrapped dates, among other tasty items. They certainly understand how much I appreciate wonderful food. Thanks again Kidos!

Nola's Legacy

My mother ended her journey here on earth this morning. She was ready to go and at peace. For that I am grateful. This blog is not the forum I choose to use to speak of her but know that she was truly remarkable in many, many ways. For today and for this site, I have a recipe of Mom's. A memory from the Choke Cherry cabin in Logan Canyon 1970's....

Nola's Hot Tuna Sandwiches
1 can albacore tuna, packed in water and drained well
1/3 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons roughly chopped black olives
3 tablespoons roughly chopped dill pickles
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
6 rolls (any crusty or chewy type)
Mix tuna with cheese, olives, pickles, onions and mayo until combined. Slice rolls nearly all the way through. Spread tuna filling in rolls and wrap with aluminum foil to seal. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cheese melts. (Or spread on sliced bread and broil for 1 to 2 minutes if you don't have rolls.) Serve warm.

Hints: Mom always doubled or tripled this recipe. The mixture keeps well covered in the fridge. Sweet pickles are ok to sub for the dill. And measuring the ingredients precisely is rather frowned upon in the real-world Mom circles of life.

Thanks to God for letting Nola be my Mom! She is so happy to see Bennie again!